LNG Sabine Pass Terminal Contract Signed

Cheniere Energy Partners' subsidiary Sabine Pass Liquefaction signs a LNG sale and purchase agreement with Total Gas & Power North America.

Cheniere Partners owns 100 percent of the Sabine Pass LNG terminal located on the Sabine Pass Channel in western Cameron Parish, Louisiana.  The Sabine Pass LNG terminal has regasification and send-out capacity of 4.0 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) and storage capacity of 16.9 billion cubic feet equivalent (Bcfe).

Under the terms of the agreement Total has agreed to purchase 91,250,000 MMBtu of LNG annually plus 13,500,000 MMBTU of seasonal LNG volumes upon the commencement of train five operations.  These volumes represent approximately 2.0 million tonnes per annum ("mtpa") of the approximately 4.5 mtpa of nominal capacity of train five being developed at Sabine Liquefaction.

Sabine Liquefaction is currently developing five liquefaction trains adjacent to the Sabine Pass LNG terminal.  The first two trains are under construction and the third and fourth trains are expected to commence construction in 2013.  As previously announced, a partial assignment agreement was entered into between Sabine Liquefaction and Total, allowing Sabine Liquefaction to gain access to services under Total's terminal use agreement with Sabine Pass LNG, L.P., including Total's berthing and storage capacity, making further expansion of the LNG export capabilities at the Sabine Pass LNG terminal possible. 

Under the SPA, Total will purchase LNG on an FOB basis, under which LNG will be loaded onto Total's vessels, for a purchase price indexed to the monthly Henry Hub price plus a fixed component.  The SPA has a term of twenty years commencing upon the date of first commercial delivery for train five, and an extension option of up to ten years.  Deliveries from train five are expected to occur as early as 2018.